Dowlatshahi wins AAP Foundation’s Richman Award

Dr. Sahar Dowlatshahi received the 2023 Dr. Colin Richman Family Perio-Ortho Award from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. Photo by Kyle Rogers.

Assistant Professor Sahar Dowlatshahi, DDS, MMSc, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Colin Richman Family Perio-Ortho Award from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation.

The Richman Award is given to an individual performing clinical or basic science research related to the orthodontic/periodontal interphase. Dowlatshahi is the School of Dentistry’s first recipient.

Dowlatshahi was recognized during AAP’s 109th Annual Meeting on Nov. 10 in Austin.

“As a clinician deeply committed to the multidisciplinary approach to patient care, I am profoundly honored to receive the Dr. Colin Richman Award,” said Dowlatshahi. “This recognition fuels my dedication to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and advancing our collective knowledge, all in pursuit of enhancing patient care.”

Dowlatshahi received $30,000 for her project, titled “Effect of Different Grafting Material Following Surgically Facilitated Orthodontics Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.” The study will investigate radiographic changes of alveolar bone and gingival tissue changes of the mandibular anterior teeth using surgically-facilitated orthodontic therapy. Helder Baldi Jacob, DDS, MSc, PhD, of the Department of Orthodontics; and Chun-Teh Lee, DDS, DMSc, MS, and Nikola Angelov, DDS, MS, PhD, chair, of the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene will collaborate on the project.

Dowlatshahi earned her doctorate in dental surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry in 2018. She received her master of medical sciences and certificate in periodontology from Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 2021.

Dowlatshahi, who joined the School of Dentistry faculty in 2022, is a board-certified periodontist and implant surgeon. She specializes in implant dentistry, resective and regenerative periodontal therapy, laser therapy, and surgically facilitated orthodontics therapy and is a provider at UT Dentists.

The Richman Award is named in honor of Collin S. Richman DMD, BDS, whose passion for the interface between periodontology and orthodontics began in dental school in South Africa. Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Richman is a leading periodontist in Georgia. He has extensive training and experience in periodontology and has presented more than 350 lectures in the U.S. and abroad.